Debra Dagwan Precinct 8

Friday

Town council calendars have been full throughout the months of December, January and now February.

Town council calendars have been full throughout the months of December, January and now February.

As a liaison to committees, commissions, boards and other community organizations within the town, my daily schedule has been very busy. In December and January, council members attended technology trainings, orientations and workshops, and managed a holiday social where family members were invited to meet one another.

So far it seems the manager and his staff have done a good job getting the iForum technology off the ground. Citizens within the town of Barnstable are using it to ask questions and share ideas.

I began the month of January in the same way December ended - "busy" - first by making onsite visits to the new airport facility and also to our town wells.

Tours that were given to the town's wells were enlightening and educational. I am sure Councilor Hersey, who partnered with me, would agree. The airport manager and airport commission (for which I am the council liaison), along with the assistance of our town's legal department, won a very important legal decision in the courts late last year regarding construction of the terminal.

However, recently there have been a few hiccups, causing airport staff to come before the council seeking support for additional funding, once for a larger generator and two weeks later for asbestos removal.

In January some of us attended the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) Annual Meeting in Boston. For new councilors, it was their first time. This year at MMA, the big issues facing cities and towns in the Commonwealth were:

(1) Health Care Reform (2) Wastewater Management.

Basically the Executive Office for Administration and Finance set into motion emergency plans required by the Municipal Health Insurance Reform Act of 2011.

Planned steps were established for towns to modify existing health care plans and for calculating the savings that may come from such modifications; or steps for towns that choose to join the Group Insurance Commission (GIC); also, steps for towns to follow when adhering to the state law that now requires towns to move eligible retirees into the state Medicare Plan; and finally, steps to facilitate mitigation plans they say will offset the negative effects subscribers may incur due to any changes to their plans. The town council is discussing this now.

A federal law does require that a 60-day advance notice be given to employees before any changes can be made. In addition, no collective bargaining is allowed as part of the process involving health plan changes; however, "insurance premium contribution ratios may not be changed, and are still subject to collective bargaining." (Attorney Paul Mulkern, "Forum covers details of insurance law," The Beacon, September 2011, p. 15).

Wastewater management was a key issue included under one of the three resolutions put forth at the January 2012 MMA annual meeting, and these are in an abbreviated form as follows:

1. Resolution Opposing Unfunded Mandates on the Cities and Towns of the Commonwealth: "Whereas, the cities and towns of Massachusetts provide a wide range of essential services for all the citizens of the Commonwealth, including providing safe, clean and affordable drinking water, and safe and sanitary wastewater treatment and stormwater management…"

2. Resolution on the Transportation Finance Crisis: "Whereas, the transportation finance in the Commonwealth is a critical and urgent matter because the current program has been operating on short-term extensions…”

3. Resolution Calling on the United States Government to Embrace a Strong Fiscal and Economic Partnership with Cities and Towns: "Whereas, a full economic recovery will only be achieved if the cities and towns of Massachusetts and the United States have the resources and authority to deliver the basic services that are essential to economic growth and prosperity…”

Congratulations To…

• The Hyannis Civic Association, for their success in finally getting a Citizens Response Line so citizens can call and expect to receive a response to their question or be directed to the appropriate department that can assist them. 508-862-492.

• Voices of the Village Homework Help, After School Program at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center, Monday thru Thursday, held in the United Cultures Resource Room (free to Barnstable students – the program would appreciate adult volunteers for an hour at least one day a week).

• Councilors Cullum and Hersey, along with Chief MacDonald and Officer Morrison for agreeing to work with the Councilor from Precinct 8, to address the shootings, the tenants/landlord relationship, and for helping to establish new Neighborhood Watch Groups (NWG) in areas of need throughout the Precinct (If you are interested in starting a NWG in your area or on your street, contact me at: Frustrat@aol.com or phone 508-778-6824 (NWG flyers will be coming soon).

• The Barnstable Police for their persistence in following up on the arrest and for tracking to Florida a suspect who allegedly fired a gun outside his home here on the Cape. When police entered his home here in January, they found drugs and other evidence of materials related to the presence of weapons and various drugs.

Besides the above accomplishments and efforts in the village of Hyannis and in the town of Barnstable, the month of February brings with it the start of more changes. Decisions will have to be made about the Barnstable town budget, the Municipal Health Care Plan, waste and wastewater management, and most important, the selection of a new Barnstable town manager to oversee it all.

Now is the time to let your councilors, civic associations, religious, medical, social, and business organizations (as well as town departments) know what it is you seek in a town manager, and what you are willing to pay to get what you want.

Right Now Is The Time To Think. Last Year 2011

The New Year (2012) came in so fast, I hardly had time to welcome it in with the traditional celebration. Besides the party my friends and I would usually attend (way back when we were young), this year my husband and I followed an old tradition of my grandmother's.

She would always usher the new year in by attending a "watch night service" at her local church, and now we have done so for the past four years. She had lots of other traditional or superstitious behaviors for this holiday, such as preparing black-eyed peas for the occasion, and making sure a male figure entered her home first in the new year (her husband, brother, uncle, neighbor or friend).

Surprisingly enough, some of our relatives still follow such traditions or superstitions faithfully every year.

Yes, this year came in as fast as last year went out. However, since February is Black History month, let me share with you some of the events that have been happening.

Recently Joseph and Delores Daluz were honored for their years of service in the town as well as on the Cape for their efforts in addressing civil rights issues, standing up alongside other civil rights leaders here on the Cape and speaking up for equality when needed, in housing, employment, law enforcement and education. Their work through the NAACP over the 32 years I have been living on the Cape has financially supported so many young people to further their education. Those efforts continue today, setting an example for those same young recipients to continue the legacy of giving back financially to assist others students who aspire to be the best that they can be.

The Zion Union Heritage Museum and the Hyannis Public Library collaborated on a fundraising event for Black History month on February 4, which featured Author Mick Carlon presenting his book "Riding on Duke's Train.” The event was well attended and included a Q & A with the author, a silent auction, great hors d'oeuvres and great jazz music by local jazz musicians. Irene Elmer, representing the library, and John Reed, representing the museum, are to be commended on their efforts for organizing such a fabulous family event.

This past Saturday (Feb. 11) at the Barnstable Senior Center, another collaboration took place between the center and the Cape Cod Branch of the NAACP to host the 13th Annual Heart & Soul Celebration, including delicious soul food and soul music by a group called "The Groovalottos." Lynne Poyant did a great job moving things along, and she was our waitress (she deserved a big tip, if we could have given her one).

There are lots of other great events going on throughout this month, at Cape Cod Community College, through Woods Hole and other towns on the Cape, to come out and celebrate African-Americans, their history and contributions to this great country we live in.